Better for a single man to die than for an entire nation to perish

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Homiletics of the Fathers of The Island of Patmos

BETTER LET ONE MAN DIE THAN THE ENTIRE NATION PERISH

For Jesus, true death is not the physical one that men can give, but it lies in the refusal to give one's life for others, the sterile closure on oneself; on the contrary, true life is the culmination of a process of self-giving.

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Misunderstand, that is, taking one thing for another. This activity which has spread to the present day marked by the consistent use of social, for the author of the Fourth Gospel it becomes a literary device by which, using the momentary misunderstanding, the reader is guided towards further knowledge, often deeper, of reality, of the mystery that lives in Jesus. We saw it in the encounter between Him and the Samaritan woman and before that with Nicodemus, in last Sunday's Gospel. We still find it here, in the evangelical passage of this fifth Sunday of Lent. What could be more simple and natural than the desire to see Jesus? It wouldn't be a request we would ask every day either? Yet the Evangelist tells us that He seems, apparently, don't take it into consideration; distracted or, better to say, focused on an upcoming test, on what could distract him and therefore on a presentation of himself that the simple curiosity of seeing him might not understand. What or who should we look at when we long to see Jesus?

Second Temple of Jerusalem, reconstruction model, State of Israel Museum

"During that time, among those who had come up for worship during the festival there were also some Greeks. They approached Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and they asked him: “man, we want to see Jesus”. Filippo went to tell Andrea, and then Andrew and Philip went to tell Jesus. Jesus answered them: “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. In truth, verily I tell you: if the grain of wheat, fell to the ground, it doesn't die, it remains only; but if it dies, produces a lot of fruit. Who loves their life, he who hates his life in this world loses it, he will keep it for eternal life. If anyone wants to serve me, follow me, and where am I, my servant will also be there. Be one serve me, the Father will honor him. Now my soul is troubled; what will I say? Dad, save me from this hour? But this is precisely why I have come to this hour! Dad, glorify your name”. Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified him and I will glorify him again!”. The crowd, who was present and had heard, he said it was thunder. Others said: “An angel spoke to him”. Jesus said: “This voice did not come to me, but for you. Now is the judgment of this world; now the prince of this world will be thrown out. And I, when I am lifted up from the ground, I will draw everyone to me”. He said this to indicate the death he was going to die." (GV 12, 20-33).

To understand the pericope just read it is necessary to refer to the growing hostility towards Jesus indicated by the following words which precede the passage just quoted:

«"If we let it continue like this, everyone will believe in him, The Romans will come and destroy our temple and our nation.". But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, he told them: “You don't understand anything! You do not realize that it is convenient for you that one man should die for the people, and the entire nation does not go to ruin!”. However, he did not say this on his own, ma, being high priest that year, prophesied that Jesus must die for the nation; and not just for the nation, but also to gather together the children of God who were scattered. From that day on they decided to kill him." (GV 11, 48-53).

In the words of the opponents there is also the observation that: «The world (it's weird) he went after him" (GV 12,19). In this context, in which the opponents' decisions have already been made, some Greeks want to see Jesus. It's a first step, not yet that perfect seeing that makes one contemplate the meaning of things with a gaze transformed by the Spirit, all the depth of reality that he will make Jesus express: «Whoever has seen me has seen the Father» (GV 14,9). This desire, however, is positive, of a completely different tone than the murderous aspiration of Jesus' adversaries. There are also Greek ones, present for Easter in Jerusalem, perhaps sympathizers of Jewish monotheism or even already circumcised, they cannot enter the innermost part of the temple where Jesus probably was: the enclosure reserved for Jews. In fact, to mark this space there was a balustrade which the historian Josephus Flavius ​​also tells us about which had some writings on it, still preserved today in Jerusalem and Istanbul, who recited in Greek, to be understood by non-Jews:

«Let no foreigner enter beyond the balustrade and the wall that surrounds it yesterday (the reserved Temple area, n.d.r.); whoever is caught red-handed will be the cause of the death that follows".

These who want to see Jesus they turn to the disciple who bears a Greek name, Filippo, who was from a city also inhabited by many Greeks and perhaps he himself spoke their language. The request must have been singular if Philip himself was helped and accompanied by one of the first two disciples of Jesus, also with a Greek name: Andrea.

Having received the news, Jesus seizes the moment as another sign that his "hour" has come (Come hora), that of his glorification in his Easter (GV 17,1). Cana of Galilee, when it was in the initial phase, Jesus mentions it to his Mother, now here, instead, it is expressly said that the time: «It has arrived». And as then the spouses at the wedding at Cana disappear from the scene, here too the Greeks seem rudely put aside, so that a revelation about Jesus emerges. This time not a sign, but his own words reveal it. His death will be fruitful as happens to the grain of wheat which must fall to the ground and rot in order to multiply and bear fruit., die, otherwise he remains sterile and alone. Accepting to rot and die, the grain multiplies its life and therefore goes through death and reaches the resurrection.

The paradox of parables returns that Jesus feels the need to clarify:

«He who loves his life, loses it, and those who hate their life in this world, guards it for eternal life".

For Jesus, true death is not physical death that men can give, but it lies in the refusal to give one's life for others, the sterile closure on oneself; on the contrary, true life is the culmination of a process of self-giving. The story of the grain of wheat is the story of Jesus but also that of each of his servants, who, following Jesus, he will know passion and death like his Lord, but also resurrection and life forever. It will not only be Jesus who will be glorified by the Father but also the disciple, the servant who, following his Lord, become his friend (GV 15,15).

What, so, Jesus promises to see? His passion, death and resurrection, his glorification, the cross as a revelation of love lived to the end (cf.. GV 13,1). To every disciple, coming from Israel or from the Gentiles, it is given to contemplate in his ignominious death the glory of one who gives his life for love. The Evangelist also allows us to take a look at the most intimate feelings experienced by Jesus and his filial conscience. How the Synoptics will recount Jesus' anguish in Gethsemane (cf.. MC 14,32-42 e par.), in the moment preceding his capture, Giovanni reports his confession: «Now my soul is troubled». He is troubled by what is about to happen, as he had already been troubled and cried at the death of his friend Lazarus (cf.. GV 11,33-35). But this very human anguish does not become a stumbling block placed in his path: Jesus was tempted, but he radically overcomes temptation by adhering to the will of the Father. Differently from the synoptics, but I agree with them, for John Jesus did not want to save himself from that hour, nor be exempt from it, but he remains faithful to his mission by carrying out the Father's will, in profound union with Him, so much so that the glory is shared between them: "Dad, glorify your name". Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified him and I will glorify him again”. The words of the Letter to the Hebrews come to mind:

«In the days of his earthly life he offered prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to God who could save him from death and, for her full abandonment to him (his reverence), was granted" (EB 5,7).

But Jesus' hour also corresponds to the judgment on the world who does not know the love of Christ and opposes it:

«Now comes the judgment of this world; now the prince of this world is cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth I will draw everyone to me"

a reference to that serpent raised by Moses (cf.. Nm 21,4-9; GV 3,14) who saved the Israelites. The messianic "hour" of Jesus expels the prince of the world who prefers the darkness of evil and will leave room for the authentic King who, even if he rules from a cross, he attracts everyone out of love and towards whom we must turn a gaze of faith. Here is the real answer to those who wanted it, and they still want it today, «see Jesus».

Today's Gospel page it is the good news especially for all those disciples who know the dynamics of falling to the ground, of "rotting" in suffering, in solitude and hiding. In some hours of life it seems that all following is reduced only to passion and desolation, to abandonment and denial by others, but then more than ever we need to look at the image of the grain of wheat given to us by Jesus; more than ever we need to renew our gaze of faith: «They will look at the one they have pierced» (GV 19,37).

According to an ancient tradition Bishop Ignatius of Antioch (35 approximately – Rome, 107 circa) met the apostle Saint John. It is therefore not surprising to find it in one of his letters addressed to the Christians of Rome, where he will find martyrdom, a concordance of terms and views with the Gospel that we read today:

«I am God's wheat and I will be ground by the teeth of wild beasts to become the pure bread of Christ... It is better for me to die for Jesus Christ than to extend my empire to the ends of the earth... The prince of this world wants to take me away and suffocate my aspiration towards God. All my earthly desires are crucified and there is no longer any aspiration for material realities in me, but a living water murmurs inside me and tells me: “Come to the Father”».

From the Hermitage, 17 March 2024

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Sant'Angelo Cave in Ripe (Civitella del Tronto)

 

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If one is not born from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God

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Homiletics of the Fathers of The Island of Patmos

IF ONE IS NOT BORN FROM ABOVE, HE CANNOT SEE THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Johannine morality is a morality of truth: «Instead, he who does the truth comes towards the light, so that it appears clearly that his works were done in God ". In the growing awareness that "without me you can do nothing", the consequences of being Christian, also on a moral level, they are connected in Giovanni to the theme of remaining. Remaining with Jesus implies a duty at the level of coherence, but first and foremost as a consequence at the level of being, live like Jesus: «He who says he remains in him, he must also behave as he behaved".

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Since the Gospel of Mark is shorter than the others, some passages from the Gospel of John help to cover all Sundays of the liturgical year, especially during Lent. They are texts that help to understand that Paschal mystery which will be celebrated in particular in the days of the "Triduum". They anticipate important themes, like that of the raising of the "Son of man" referred to in the following evangelical passage which is proclaimed on the fourth Sunday of Lent.

Henry Ossawa Tanner: Jesus and Nicodemus, oil on canvas, 1899, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (USA)

"During that time, Jesasu said to Niconamo: “How Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so the Son of man must be raised up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. In fact, God so loved the world that he gave the only Son so that whoever believes in him would not be lost, but have eternal life. It gave, indeed, did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but for the world to be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned; but those who do not believe have already been sentenced, because he did not believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the verdict: the light has come into the world, but men loved darkness more than light, because their works were evil. Anyone in fact does evil, He hates the light, and it does not come to light so that its works are not reproved. Instead, whoever does the truth comes towards the light, so that it may clearly appear that his works were done in God"" (GV 3,14-21)

In the Synoptics, Jesus predicts that he will have to suffer a lot; announces that «he will be mocked, scourged and crucified" (Mt 20,19) and that on the third day he will rise again. Giovanni, instead, announcing the passion of Jesus presents it as an "exaltation". He does it in the chapters 3 (vv. 14-15), 8 (v. 28) e 12 (v. 32). The last one is the most explicit song: «When I am lifted up [exalted] from the ground I will draw everyone to me". In the previous verse Jesus had said: «Now is the judgment of this world, now the prince of this world [Satan] he will be kicked out". Jesus, raised from the ground, will take his place, becoming king and attracting everyone to him. But Jesus' exaltation will not take place in Heaven, but on the cross. Many have interpreted, indeed, the raising of Jesus as a Johannine anticipation of his Ascension, while here there is instead explicit reference to the death of the Lord. All this might seem disconcerting because in our passage, The Other Brother, we are at the beginning of the Gospel and not at the end, yet Jesus already speaks of his death. Moreover, we also read in the prologue that: «His parents didn't welcome him» (GV 1,11). And let's not forget that this is also Sunday «In Rejoicing» as the entrance antiphon of the Eucharistic liturgy proclaims. So where to find reasons to rejoice? Evidently in this evangelical verticality that makes you dizzy.

The first to be disconcerted is Nicodemus, Jesus' interlocutor, who is asked for a rebirth from above (from above), that is, by the Spirit poured out from above. Nicodemus' astonished reaction - «How can this happen?» - encounters a response from Jesus that disconcerts us too:

«If you do not believe when I spoke to you about things of the earth, as you will believe if I speak to you about things of heaven?» (GV 3,12).

According to the context earthly things consist precisely in the dynamic of spiritual rebirth that must occur in life, here on Earth, in the humanity of the person who, thanks to faith, opens itself to the action of the Spirit. While celestial things are the paradox of a rising that coincides with a death sentence and a crucifixion that, according to John, it is exaltation and glorification. We find the echo of the words of the prophet Isaiah: «Who will believe our revelation?» (53,1); which follow the announcement that the "servant of the Lord will be exalted" (Is 52,13). The Greek verb, in version of the Septuagint (LXX), ypsóo, it will also be used by John in our text to indicate the raising of the Son of man. Thus at the heart of the Christian faith there is something surprising specified immediately afterwards: the raising of the Son of man is the event that fulfills and fully realizes the gift that the Father has given to humanity: the gift of the Son. The elevation on the cross which seems to appear to be the lowest point of Jesus' life, for the gaze of faith it is the moment in which one is born from above, as Nicodemus was asked: "In truth, truly I tell you, if one is not born from above, cannot see the kingdom of God"; thanks to the gift of the Spirit that the crucifix pours out. Here is the reason to rejoice, since if "no one has ever ascended to heaven except he who descended from heaven" (GV 3,13), the event that we could read as the lowest in the life of Jesus, his cross, According to John, it becomes the highest moment for him and for us: occasion of a gift that reveals all the love of God. A love that, as such, does not intend to condemn in the slightest, but only save. A free and unconditional love that can spread and manifest its energies in those who make room for it by welcoming it into themselves through faith: «God loved the world so much that he gave his only begotten Son». A gift that is vertical and asymmetrical because it does not seek reciprocity: «As the Father loved me, so I loved you. Stay in my love" (GV 15,9); «As I have loved you, so you love one another" (GV 13,34).

Here we must insist on the absolute novelty of a statement. In other religions, for example, we talk about the depth of the mystery of God, of its greatness, of his eternity, of his justice, etc.. But only Christianity teaches us:

«For God loved the world so much that he gave his only begotten Son, because everyone believes in him […] have eternal life" (GV 3, 16).

Such a revelation transforms Christian morality. Jesus left us only one commandment, which is a new commandment, that of loving one another, as he loved us (GV 13, 34). This is the only way to explain the fact, paradoxical at first sight, that all Johannine morality is practically a morality of truth. It is summarized in two fundamental precepts: the faith that opens us to the Mystery and the love that makes us live in the mystery of revelation. Conversely, Giovanni seems to know, in its very rich essentiality and simplicity, only two sins: the rejection of faith in Jesus and hatred of one's brother.

Thus the Johannine morality is a morality of truth: «Instead, he who does the truth comes towards the light, so that it appears clearly that his works were done in God ". In the growing awareness that "without me you can do nothing", the consequences of being Christian, also on a moral level, they are connected in Giovanni to the theme of remaining. Remaining with Jesus implies a duty at the level of coherence, but first and foremost as a consequence at the level of being, live like Jesus: «He who says he remains in him, he must also behave as he behaved" (1 GV 2,6). «Whoever remains in Him does not sin; whoever sins has neither seen nor known him" (1GV 3,6). If the Christian, like John, he is amazed to look at it, indeed if it truly remains in Him, then he sins no more. Since whoever remains in that amazement and in that grace cannot sin. It's beautiful, in its conciseness, Augustine's commentary on this verse: «In so far as it remains in him, in so far he does not sin». A common perception especially among the fathers of the Eastern Church. Ecumenius too, a theologian of the Antiochian tradition of Chrysostom, in his commentary on the First Letter of John, writes:

«When he who is born of God has completely given himself to Christ who dwells in him through sonship, he remains beyond the reach of sin".

Let's become flawless as we abandon ourselves totally to Jesus Christ, as we remain in Him.

To conclude and summarize, if it were ever possible, themes of such great theological density that can be drawn from this Sunday's Gospel passage, I report a passage from the dogmatic constitution The light:

«Cristo, indeed, raised from the ground, he attracted everyone to him; risen from the dead, he sent his life-giving Spirit upon the disciples and through him constituted his body, the church, as a universal sacrament of salvation; seated at the right hand of the Father, works incessantly in the world to lead men to the Church and through it unite them more intimately to himself and make them participants in his glorious life by nourishing them with his body and his blood".

From the Hermitage, 10 March 2024

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Sant'Angelo Cave in Ripe (Civitella del Tronto)

 

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Journey into the night with Nicodemus

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Homiletic of the Fathers of The Island of Patmos

JOURNEY INTO THE NIGHT WITH NICODEMUS

"It gave, indeed, did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world may be saved through him."

Author:
Gabriele Giordano M. Scardocci, o.p.

 

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Dear brothers and sisters,

in our lives we have had moments of great night and existential and spiritual darkness. In those moments the Lord was close to us with his Light, even if perhaps we didn't realize it at first. On this journey of Lent we can think back to those moments and discover the meaning of hope as theological charity. Nicodemus himself had come to Jesus at night. The two have a long exchange of which only part of it is actually reported today. The most important section:

Christ and Nicodemus, opera by Pieter Crijnse Volmarijn, 17th century.

"During that time, Jesasu said to Niconamo: “How Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so the Son of man must be raised up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. In fact, God so loved the world that he gave the only Son so that whoever believes in him would not be lost, but have eternal life. It gave, indeed, did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but for the world to be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned; but those who do not believe have already been sentenced, because he did not believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the verdict: the light has come into the world, but men loved darkness more than light, because their works were evil. Anyone in fact does evil, He hates the light, and it does not come to light so that its works are not reproved. Instead, whoever does the truth comes towards the light, so that it may clearly appear that his works were done in God"" (GV 3, 14-21).

Initially Jesus refers to the serpent in the desert raised by Moses (14-15), arguing with great force that He is the newly raised one who will give eternal life. Effectively, the reference to the serpent was not new to Nicodemus. For here, Jesus, refers to the episode in which Moses took a snake and placed it on a pole to free the poisoned Jews from death (cf.. Nm 21,8 ss).

Here then is that Jesus is the New One Raised: the one who, if welcomed with faith and love, frees us from all the poisons of our life. The sins, vices and frailties. Embracing true and authentic life means discovering all your potential, the gifts of God and offer them in charity to others. It is therefore necessary to purify the gaze of our faith to try to encounter Jesus raised up even in moments of difficulty and suffering. Even that moment, if lived with faith it gives moments of growth: you enter new life when you are raised on your cross in Him, in moments crucial of life.

This flourishing in new life in Christ opens up hope for a better world already now, which builds the Common Good in Charity, and also eschatological hope. That is, the hope of being redeemed and one day going to Heaven. Jesus himself promises it to Nicodemus:

"It gave, indeed, did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world may be saved through him.".

The salvation that Jesus offers us It happens right on the cross, in which, with a supererogatory work he redeemed us from the dominion of sin and the devil; we drew on this salvation directly in our baptism and reinvigorated it in confirmation.

In this time of Lent we can reinvigorate the faith and hope of eternal life, always with acts of charity, but also with a look of hope and goodness on the history we live. Indeed, the personal micro-story that we live in our daily lives is a great gift of grace: God gave us life, freedom and personal vocation, therefore, our personal choices influence the construction of our daily life. Our daily life, if lived with faith and charity, allows us to hope to build a macro-history of the world in which we live, which opens the path of hope for eternal life. So, in our little daily journey we love, we believe and work in the Good at the same time we found the hope of a life that will be eternally beautiful because in the presence of God. Eternal life that will be inaugurated on Easter morning in which with Christ we will be called to be born never to die again.

Lent purifies us to learn to hope in the Eternal and no longer only in temporary realities. We ask the Lord to grow more and more in hope and increasingly generate a heart poured out by his Holy Spirit and Marian love.

Amen!

Santa Maria Novella in Florence, 10 March 2024

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Being scrutinized by the heart of God

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Homiletic of the Fathers of The Island of Patmos

BE SEARCHED BY THE HEART OF GOD

Jesus scrutinizes the hearts of the men who witnessed his miracles and realizes that theirs is not true faith but only emotion. It is a faith that seeks only sensationalism, what today we would define as “fideism”. Jesus instead tries to give them a faith that is authentic and strong.

Author:
Gabriele Giordano M. Scardocci, o.p.

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Dear Readers of The Island of Patmos,

In this third stage towards Easter we observe a very strong moment in the life of Jesus. The only episode in which the Lord almost seems to use violent actions in which he fights the mentality of his time. In fact every fight scene is always strong on the eyes. Let us think of the war scenes described in great classical works such asIliade o la Jerusalem Liberated. The fight of Jesus, But, it is not aimed at war, but until a feeling of faith and continuous conversion arises in the heart of man and in each of us.

On this third Sunday of Lent We read the famous passage of the expulsion of the merchants from the temple in (text of the Gospel HERE). A really strong scene. A way for the Lord to purify the Temple, that is, the house of God, from the impurities that the not always correct sales were made here. However, the Temple, it is a sacred space that merchants really could not enter for the purpose of buying and selling.

This episode it is generally applied to our time as a condemnation of the market and of inhuman financial speculations which do not respect the dignity and sacredness of man. But this is also a sign that Jesus is not attentive to individual economic materiality in itself but as a means to an end. The money, so, however necessary, it can never become a substitute for God.

The next dialogue it is an excuse that Jesus uses to announce his Passion. To affirm his final act of love. This act of love is Redemption and liberation from sin. And it is also the Great Sign of Jesus, greater than all other signs, that we too must rediscover this Lent. In fact, if we read this pericope carefully:

«While he was in Jerusalem for Passover, during the party, a lot of, seeing the signs that he performed, they believed in his name. Jesus, he didn't trust them, because he knew everyone and did not need anyone to bear witness about man. For he knew what is in man.".

We understand how Jesus, through his divine knowledge by way of eternity, he searches the hearts of the men who witnessed his miracles. And he realizes that theirs is not a true faith but only emotion. It is a faith that seeks only sensationalism, or what today we would define as “fideism”. Jesus instead tries to give them a faith that is authentic and strong.

This is our daily journey that in this difficult period we can undertake with courage. Let us help with prayer, the Sacraments and trust in the Lord to free us from an immature faith, emotional and fragile. This path can also help us understand what our difficulties and distractions are in prayer and in the practice of works of mercy.

All of this will lead us to grow in being known to gradually become more and more intimate with the Lord. And this intimacy will be a source of joy and satisfaction.

We ask the Lord to always have a heart open to his inspirations of love and truth to become new men in Him.

Amen!

Santa Maria Novella in Florence, 3 March 2024

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On Mount Tabor the disciples receive the revelation of the son of man in a form transfigured by divine light

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Homiletics of the Fathers of The Island of Patmos

ON MOUNT TABOR THE DISCIPLES RECEIVE THE REVELATION OF THE SON OF MAN IN A FORM TRANSFIGURED BY DIVINE LIGHT

In the evangelical narrative and in the Lenten journey, another framework is thus added which helps to answer the question we asked at the beginning: Who is he? Now it is the Father himself who reveals the profound identity of Jesus not only to those who witness it on the Mount of Transfiguration, but also to readers and believers in Christ: He is the Son. A theology very present in the Gospels that brings to mind what is written in the First Gospel, when Jesus says: “No one knows the Son except the Father”

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Embark on the Lenten journey it means asking ourselves again the fundamental question about Jesus: Who is he? In the same way as the disciples sitting on the boat tossed by the waves, figure of the Church in the post-Easter period, who woke up the sleeping Lord at the stern and when the storm was calmed they wondered: «So who is he?, that even the wind and the sea obey him?» (MC 4, 41). Mark's story of the Transfiguration that we read on this second Sunday of Lent seeks to answer this question.

The transfiguration of Christ, work by Giovanni Bellini, 1478. Capodimonte Museums, Naples.

"During that time, Jesus took Peter with him, James and John and led them to a high mountain, on the sidelines, them alone. He was transfigured before them and his clothes became dazzling, very white: no fuller on earth could make them so white. And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. Taking the floor, Peter said to Jesus: “Rabbi, it's nice for us to be here; let's make three huts, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah". In fact, he didn't know what to say, because they were scared. A cloud came and covered them with its shadow and a voice came out of the cloud: “This is my Son, the beloved: listen!”. And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone, if not Jesus alone, with them. As they came down the mountain, he ordered them not to tell anyone what they had seen, except after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. And they kept the matter between them, wondering what it meant to rise from the dead". (MC 9,2-10)

All three Synoptic Gospels they place the Transfiguration in the same context, that is, after Jesus' announcement of his passion. For the reader, a bridge is thus created between the public ministry of Jesus and the death that will take place in Jerusalem. But also a connection between today's proclamation of Jesus "Son of God", that is heard from the cloud, and two other similar ones. That of Baptism, When: «A voice was heard from heaven» saying «You are my beloved Son, I am pleased with you" (MC 1,11); and the other, which is found only in Mark, at the beginning of the Gospel, in the first verse of the first chapter: "The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Son of God".

It is very likely that the episode narrated, originally, it was a story of the appearance of the Risen One, that Marco, who excluded such stories from his narration, would have placed it at the center of the Gospel, immediately after Peter's messianic confession, to balance the announcement of the death destiny of the Son of man (MC 8, 31) with the proleptic vision of his glorification (MC 9, 2-13). A choice that would also have determined its placement in Matthew and Luke. Supporting this hypothesis is the fact that throughout the three stories the disciples' misunderstanding of Jesus remains intact., despite some having witnessed such a sensational event. While, placed after his death, the story takes on a crucial meaning. It's the turning point. The three disciples receive the revelation of the Son of man in a form transfigured by divine light. After his death, they have the vision of Jesus placed on the same level as Moses and Elijah, that is, of two biblical figures already raised to celestial glory, and they hear the proclamation of his divine election, the same one that resonates at the moment of baptism. Finally the disciples "know" who Jesus is, and it is in the light of this understanding that the historical and initial episode of baptism takes on its "true" meaning of divine investiture.

In the verse preceding the scene of the Transfiguration that today we read in the Liturgy Jesus says to his disciples: ' Verily I say: there are some present here, who will not die without seeing the kingdom of God come with power" (MC 9,1). Six days after this announcement Jesus brings Peter, James and John with him on a high mountain, in a secluded place, and is transfigured before them. The episode is not only described by all three Synoptic Gospels, but also from the Second Letter of Peter. There the Apostle recalls and writes that he was an eyewitness of the greatness of Jesus:

«He in fact received honor and glory from God the Father when this voice was addressed to him by the majestic glory: “This is my beloved Son, in which I am pleased". We heard this voice coming down from heaven while we were with him on the holy mountain." (2PT 1,16-18).

Unlike Baptism, where the voice that proclaims Jesus "Son" seems to have been heard only by Him, in the Transfiguration the words are addressed to the disciples, who cannot ignore them: «Listen to him». It is in fact important that at the moment in which Jesus announces his passion the idea that God will not abandon his Son is reiterated, even if he will be handed over for crucifixion. This will not cloud the Father's faithfulness, so that even the harsh announcement of the passion and death are within the Gospel, they are the good news that the reader needs to be aware of, in the same way as the disciples who had that experience.

Pietro, together with his companions, he is the one who needs to listen to Jesus more than anyone. After the confession of Caesarea Philippi, he demanded to stand in front of him to avoid his pilgrimage to Jerusalem. This is why Jesus calls Peter "Satan" (MC 8,33), but then invites him to go up the mountain with him. In other words, here we are faced with the reaction of God to Peter's disbelief. Not only. If the disciples must prepare for the passion of their master, Jesus also needs instructions to undertake "his exodus", as he will specify Luke in 9,31: Moses had led the Jews out of Egypt, Elijah had retraced his steps, and now the Messiah, helped by those who have lived a similar experience of suffering and liberation, he will be able to go decisively towards Jerusalem.

The traditional interpretation of the presence of Moses and Elijah on the mountain he says, indeed, that they would represent the torah e i Propheti, that is, all Scripture before Jesus. But today we rather think that the meaning of their presence is important if it refers to what Jesus is experiencing at the moment he climbs that mountain. Moses and Elijah experienced events comparable to Peter's reaction to the announcement of Jesus' passion mentioned above. The analogy between the events is given by the way in which Jesus interprets Peter's refusal: like a new temptation, similar to those at the beginning of his ministry; thus Moses experienced the golden calf and Elijah experienced the flight towards Horeb. These two events took place right on a mountain, after a failure of the people of Israel who had, in the first case, built an idol and, in the second, supported the priests of Baal against whom Elijah had to fight. In the face of these two disappointments, both Moses and Elijah ask God to die (cf.. Is 32,32; 1Re 19,4), ma, in response, instead, both are granted the vision of God. Moses, scared, But, he hides in the cliff (Is 33,21-22), and Elijah covers his face (1Re 19,13). While then they did not see God, now they finally stand before Jesus, in his glory and no longer veil their faces; they are no longer afraid of him, because «Jesus, the "beloved Son" of the Father (MC 9,7), "the chosen one" (LC 9,35), he is himself the visibility of the Father: «Who saw me, he saw the Father" (GV 14,9). In him Moses and Elijah meet, they see Jesus in glory, and they bring him their comfort. At the end, the Father confirms to the three disciples, Peter included, the path that Jesus will have to take" (M. Gilbert).

In the evangelical narrative and in the Lenten journey thus another framework is added that helps to answer the question we asked at the beginning: Who is he? Now it is the Father himself who reveals the profound identity of Jesus not only to those who witness it on the Mount of Transfiguration, but also to readers and believers in Christ: He is the Son. A theology very present in the Gospels that brings to mind what is written in the First Gospel, when Jesus says: “No one knows the Son except the Father” (Mt 11,27).

From the Hermitage, 24 February 2024

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Sant'Angelo Cave in Ripe (Civitella del Tronto)

 

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Only Jesus could be so good and merciful as to cure and heal a mother-in-law

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Homiletics of the Fathers of The Island of Patmos

ONLY JESUS ​​COULD BE SO GOOD AND MERCIFUL TO TREAT AND HEAL A MOTHER-IN-LAW

«Simone's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever and they immediately told him about her. He approached and made her stand up by the hand; the fever left her and she served them. Evening came, after sunset, they brought him all the sick and possessed. The whole city was gathered in front of the door».

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The pericope of the Gospel of this V Sunday of Ordinary Time tells us again about Jesus' typical day in Capernaum.

"During that time, Jesus, left the synagogue, he immediately went to the house of Simone and Andrea, in the company of Giacomo and Giovanni. Simone's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever and they immediately told him about her. He approached and made her stand up by the hand; the fever left her and she served them. Evening came, after sunset, they brought him all the sick and possessed. The whole city was gathered in front of the door. He healed many who were suffering from various illnesses and cast out many demons; but he did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew him. Early in the morning he got up while it was still dark and, out, he withdrew to a deserted place, and there he prayed. But Simone and those who were with him set out on his trail. They found him and told him: «Everyone is looking for you!». He told them: «Let's go somewhere else, in nearby villages, because I preach there too; For this is why I came!». And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons". (MC 1,29-39)

If Mark's frequent use of the adverb "immediately" it served to speed up the narrative time, highlighting Jesus' haste regarding the announcement of the kingdom; in today's song, the locations here are also taken into account, like a space that tends to expand more and more. In fact, the movement of the story passes through the synagogue of the town on the lake (MC 1,29) to Peter's house, then again from the house to the open road in front of the courtyard door of Peter's house (v. 33), from a city to nearby villages (v. 38); at last, from the villages to "all Galilee" (v. 39). As if all space, quickly, must be occupied by Jesus, from his announcement and his works.

The characters of the story they are the disciples closest to Jesus, Simone's mother-in-law and above all the sick. These are the ones who take over the scene. They can already be found where Jesus arrives, like Pietro's mother-in-law, or they are brought to him; still others look for him spontaneously from dawn, when he is praying. Illness frames our song: be it a fever or a deeper suffering, spiritual or physical (like that caused by the impure spirits of v. 39), the vocabulary of the semantic field of the illness studs the story and is consistently present, including all the narration.

«And they immediately told him about her». The concern for this elderly woman is striking, because it shows attention towards the fragile and faith in the presence of Jesus. The elderly, feverish woman is not hidden from the Master as if she were a problem or someone to be ashamed of, so it wouldn't be worth bothering. The fact that the disciples immediately spoke to Jesus about Peter's mother-in-law shows that that woman was a priority for them. They don't ask for healing, they do not exploit the presence of the Master for their own purposes, they simply indicate the sick woman: this person is important to them. From this we can understand the meaning and value of intercession as of speaking on someone's behalf. Jesus appreciates it, so much so that he immediately does something: he holds out his hand to her, he lifts her up and then heals her of her illness. Jesus wants to be disturbed by the sick. Jesus appreciates and admires the intercession on behalf of the sick, as in the case of the centurion who intercedes for his sick servant (LC 7,1-10).

The theme of illness, we were saying, runs through the entire text of St. Mark. Suffering touches every man, but «experiencing one's own impotence in the illness, the man of faith recognizes that he is radically in need of salvation. He accepts himself as a poor and limited creature. He relies totally on God. He imitates Jesus Christ and feels personally close to him." (Adult Catechism, The truth will set you free, 1021). It is the "conversion" to which the sick healed by Jesus are called, rather, to which we are all called.

Thus we discover another meaning of Jesus' first words in the Gospel of Mark: «The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is near» (MC 1,15). Time and space, but men and women are also touched by the fullness of God's presence and the kingdom is that reality in which the encounter with Jesus is possible. Jesus does not only carry out therapeutic activities, because his gestures are accompanied by words, from teachings. In fact these are signs to say that the kingdom is near: miracles announce and inaugurate the kingdom of God and correspond to Israel's expectations, where it was believed that the Messiah would come with thaumaturgical abilities. For this reason the announcement that "the kingdom is near" is complementary to the word "repent and believe in the gospel", because the crowds that flock to Jesus, before these divine gestures, they are called to believe and convert. If this doesn't happen, miracles are useless, as Matthew explains in another passage: «Then he began to rebuke the cities in which he had performed the greatest number of miracles, because they did not repent: Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida. Because, if in Tyre and Sidon they had been done the miracles that were done among you, some time would have repented, wrapped in sackcloth and ashes" (Mt 11,20-21). The greatest healing that God can bring about is from our unbelief.

Finally, perhaps related to what we just said, we note the small discrepancy between the "all" who flock to Jesus to be healed (vv. 32.33.37) and the "many" who instead, actually, they are healed: «He healed many who were afflicted with various diseases» (v. 34). That, But, it is superseded by the resurrection vocabulary used by Mark. In fact, the verb that Mark uses to narrate the healing of Peter's mother-in-law - "he lifted her up" in v. 31) — is very important in the New Testament, because it does not only occur in healing contexts (MC 2,9.11; 5,41; 9,27), but above all in the story of the resurrection of Lazarus (GV 12,1.9) and of Christ (ad es.: At 3,15; RM 10,9). How Jesus was able to lift up Simon's mother-in-law, thus he will be able to give life to the dead, to everyone. The path that Mark wants us to take to come to know who Jesus is then becomes clear. He who in the opening of the Gospel is defined as "Son of God" (MC 1,1), as the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit (v. 8), as the "beloved Son" (v. 11) he is finally revealed in his being towards men: he is the one who "came" («exited», verbatim, from the verb exérchomai; cf.. v. 38) to men to listen to him and be healed of their infirmities.

The story of Jesus' day continues with rest, but then «early in the morning he got up while it was still dark and, out, he withdrew to a deserted place, and there he prayed. Simone and those who were with him set out on his trail. They found him and told him: «Everyone is looking for you!» (MC 1,35-37). We do not know which desert place the evangelist may be referring to, but it certainly couldn't have been far from the lake. Mark has already mentioned Jesus' prayer, in the form celebrated in the synagogue. This morning prayer is personal, as we also learn from other evangelical traditions, it seems to be the Lord's way of bringing everything back to the Father: what he experienced since the previous evening, what will await him in the day that continues. Thus Jesus teaches his disciples that prayer is essential to create unity in one's life.

From the Hermitage, 4 February 2024

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That day when a demoniac immediately recognized Jesus Christ as divine power

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Homiletics of the Fathers of The Island of Patmos

That day when a possessed immediately recognized Jesus Christ as a divine power

«In their synagogue there was a man possessed by an impure spirit and he began to shout, saying: “What do you want from us, Jesus of Nazareth? You come to destroy? I know who you are: the saint of God!”. And Jesus ordered him severely: “Crazy! Go out of him!”. And the impure spirit, Strarking it and shouting strong, He left him ".

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This Sunday's evangelical song It forms part of what is commonly defined as the "day of Jesus in Capernao".

"During that time, Jesus, Entering Saturday in the synagogue, [the caférnao] he taught. And they were amazed at his teaching: In fact, he taught them as one who has authority, and not like the scribes. And here, In their synagogue there was a man possessed by an impure spirit and he began to shout, saying: “What do you want from us, Jesus of Nazareth? You come to destroy? I know who you are: the saint of God!”. And Jesus ordered him severely: “Crazy! Go out of him!”. And the impure spirit, Strarking it and shouting strong, He left him. Everyone was taken by fear, so much so that they wondered each other: “Which is never this? A new teaching, given with authority. He even commands impure spirits and obey him!”. His fame spread immediately everywhere, throughout the Galilee region ". (MC 1,21-28).

It is a collection of short episodes ranging from MC 1,21 until 1,34 that the evangelist contains over twenty -four hours. It starts with the morning prayer in the synagogue, described by the V. 21- Prayer still celebrated today by the Jews, which provides for the proclamation of the Torah, of the prophet and the subsequent sermon held by the rabbi - to get to the sunset of the sun, when now, finite lo Shabbat, It is allowed to bring the sick before Jesus. Jesus' activity is hectic: has no time except to teach and to heal. There is an adverb, "right away" (straight, euthys), Very important for Marco, which is repeated in vv. 21.23.28 - Unfortunately not caught by the Italian translation, but present in Greek - and even twelve times only in the first chapter, Forty -five in the entire Gospel of Marco; It indicates the haste of Jesus for which "time is accomplished" (MC 1,15): If the weather is accomplished, There is no time to waste to show how the kingdom has arrived among men.

The first activity that Marco tells us On Jesus is the fact that he taught with authority. The first miracle, Let's call it that, that performs is not a healing or an exorcism, But teaching. E, in proportion, Mark presents Jesus as a teacher, more than the other gospels: Five times the word in his regard Didachē - "teaching" - and ten times he calls him "teacher", reporting this title only to him. Teaching is one of the ministries of which Paolo speaks in the letter to the Romans (12,7), And it is perhaps the charity that we need most in times when it is difficult to transmit faith.

The others, to which Jesus is compared, are the scribes. But they do not have its own "authority". Even if they are not despised or decreased by the evangelist, Marco underlines twice (vv. 22 e 27) which he teaches in a very different way than them. The difference between him and the other "rabbini" could be at two levels. The first is that of the authoritativeness with which Jesus says things. Reading the texts of the rabbinic tradition, which were collected starting from the fall of the second temple, in the second half of the first century AD, We remain affected by the attachment to the "traditions of the ancients" - of which Marco in 7,1-13 - handed down with a long chain of these and sentences, but above all from the way these are listed one after the other, like a collection of different opinions but of the same value. The word of Jesus, on the other hand, has a more creative character and a greater weight: refers directly to the law and to God and, acquiring strength, His word is never just an opinion. But there is more and here we are at the second level of the authority of Jesus. His are not simply words, but they perform what they say. He is the "saint of God" (MC 1,24) and therefore his authority expresses the power of God himself: For this he teaches, exorcizes and heals, but always through a word that frees and saves.

The kingdom of God is a new creation in which, as already in the first, The words profitablely realize what they utter. This becomes evident in the second activity that distinguishes the advent of the kingdom in Jesus: the healing of the sick and the exorcisms. Where there is God with his kingdom, There is no room for evil and its powers: if they have to go.

In fact, Jesus does not let the unchanged spirit speak: «Take Tour», orders him. He does not want Satan to open his mouth and not only because the devil is "lying and father of lies" (GV 8,44). In fact it had already happened once the snake had spoken, And the sad story of man's sin began: The ancient snake to try to evil Adam had in fact inculcated the poison of doubt in Eva: "It is true that?» (Gen 3,1). If then he had been silenced, Adam would have won the temptation.

In this part of the Gospel according to Marco Christology is centered on the idea that Jesus is capable of recovering the fate of the first man. Who, When the devil is silent and also in the desert scene, or in the story of his temptation. Jesus is "chased" in that place (MC 1,12) Just as Adam had been "chased" by Paradise (Gen 3,24), thus sharing its misfortune, but leaving victorious from the test. At the end of it, Register Marco, Jesus "was with the fairs", that is, again in peace with creation, like Adam, "And the angels served it", that is, receiving the same honor that, according to a rabbinic tradition, God had given his most beautiful creature, The honor of being nourished by good spirits. Jesus, at last, It appears in Marco's Gospel not like a child, As instead in the Gospels of Matteo and Luca's childhood, but it arrives on the already adult scene, man made, As Adam was also created adult.

The day of Capernao takes place on a Saturday, The day when God rested after creating man. On this day Jesus can bring the world back to his original beauty, through the same creative word who made the universe and which allows him to exercise his strong authority; but also exercising on that day, Saturday, a special lordship. The "Son of man", how we will listen to another Sunday, It is "Lord also on Saturday" (MC 2,28). The time is of God and Jesus affirms this sovereignty over time by making healing on Saturday. And they are healings that touch men and women who had lost the reason for their disease because of their illness. For a healthy person, The development of the activities along the arc of the week aimed at a fulfillment in sabbatical rest: the encounter with God and with his word permeated with meaning and hope the existence.

For a disabled person, which was excluded from the sabbatical rest and the space of the temple, Here every day of the week was loaded with the same pain and suffering. The healings of Jesus on Saturday interrupt this indistinct flow of time in the body of the sick and restore to men and women who have lost sense of time his full value through Saturday. The healing of that man "possessed by an impure spirit", that that day of Saturday was right there where Jesus was also present, It is the beginning of a new Saturday, that is, a new creation, in which in the center there is the life of every person to be saved. As the rabbi and philosopher Heshel wrote:

«We must feel overwhelmed by the wonder of time if we want to be ready to receive the presence of eternity in a single moment. We have to live and act as if the fate of all the time depended on a single moment " (Heshel A. (J), On Saturday, Garzanti, Milan 2015, p. 96).

 

From the Hermitage, 27 January 2024

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Sant'Angelo Cave in Ripe (Civitella del Tronto)

 

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«Come behind me, I will make you fishers of men ". And immediately they left their nets and followed him

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Homiletics of the Fathers of The Island of Patmos

«COME BEHIND ME, I WILL MAKE YOU BECOME FISHERS OF MEN". AND IMMEDIATELY THEY LEFT THE NETWORKS AND FOLLOWED HIM

How might we describe the kingdom of God proclaimed by Jesus? The main difficulty is that Jesus never used any definition to talk about it. Rather, he used parables and images, paragonaldo, to always remain with the Gospel of Mark that we will read this year, to a sower who throws seed on the ground or to a mustard seed and so on.

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Left behind is the passage in the Gospel according to John last Sunday, the lectionary takes us back to Mark, who, the exposition of the trilogy common to the synoptics has been completed (John the Baptist, Baptism of Jesus and trial in the desert), resumes the narrative giving us an important temporal indication that we learn from the beginning of today's Gospel.

«After Giovanni was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and he said: «The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is near; convert and believe in the Gospel". Passing along the Sea of ​​Galilee, he saw Simone and Andrea, brother of Simone, as they cast their nets into the sea; they were in fact fishermen. Jesus said to them,: «Come after me, I will make you fishers of men ". And immediately they left their nets and followed him. Going a little further, vide Giacomo, son of Zebedee, and John his brother, while they too repaired the nets in the boat. And he immediately called them. And they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the boys and went after him. (MC 1,14-20).

Marco writes that Jesus begins to proclaim the kingdom of God "after John was arrested" (MC 1,14 cf.. also Mt 4,12). Many imagine that the chronology of the beginning of Jesus' public ministry unfolded like this: from Galilee, region he comes from, Jesus goes down to the Jordan to be baptized. Immediately afterwards, attempted, he remains for forty days in the desert before returning to Galilee. But instead more time must have passed and the turning point, what makes Jesus return to Galilee is represented by the arrest of the Baptist. Perhaps it is at that precise moment that Jesus becomes aware that it is time to assume his responsibilities.

The voice that cried in the desert, for it has been silenced, now move on to the Word that announces the kingdom. This interpretation helps us believers in times of difficulty and suffering, what John's arrest must have been like for Jesus and he makes us say it: something must be done. It is in such situations that, if you don't go, no one can go in your place. The call that Jesus will now make of his disciples, he experienced it firsthand; he saw the kingdom he announces arrive first, even in the painful news that Giovanni can no longer speak.

But here we are at an important theological question. How might we describe the kingdom of God proclaimed by Jesus? The main difficulty is that Jesus never used any definition to talk about it. Rather, he used parables and images, paragonaldo, to always remain with the Gospel of Mark that we will read this year, to a sower who throws seed on the ground (MC 4,26) or a mustard seed (MC 4,31) and so on. The kingdom, says Jesus, not only is it close, but we must welcome him as children do (MC 10,15) and get inside, although it's not that easy, especially if you have a lot of wealth (MC 10,23). It is present, that is, here or near, but it is also the future, like the one in which Jesus will drink, together with us, the new wine, other wine than that of his last dinner (MC 14,25). Christian theology has developed a formula for this purpose, that of "already" but "not yet", almost an oxymoron which says however that we can already inherit the kingdom and live in it, even if it is not yet accomplished. It is not yet extended to all men, ma, as the document of the Second Vatican Council teaches The light "he is already present in mystery" with the Church (cf.. n. 5).

In this sense Jesus distinguishes himself from the two main conceptions of the kingdom that circulated in the Judaism of his time. In fact, he did not invent this idea, already known to the Old Testament (cf. 1Cr 28,5) and did not apply it to that way of thinking that saw the kingdom as a "nationalistic" reality, all present, to be implemented perhaps at any cost, nor even to the opposite conception, apocalyptic type, who saw the kingdom as possible only as a future realization that denied the present. If we want to trace these two extremes in the history of humanity, we could say that materialism has often been based on the illusion that everything could be resolved here, now; but on the other hand it is easy to recognize in certain spiritualistic movements the devaluation of the present, viewed negatively.

Jesus instead used the idea of ​​kingdom to say first of all that it has arrived and therefore we can enter. But to do this we need to change our mentality, way of reasoning and thinking; to say it in the words of Jesus: «convert» (MC 1,15). "Come your kingdom!», pray to the Church again, today, after two thousand years. The kingdom already exists, but it must still be welcomed as a gift and found there even where it is difficult to see it.

Therefore in conformity with the Jewish eschatological expectation, but with the decisive difference that it is no longer a matter of waiting, the Kingdom of God is the effect of the messianic event announced by Jesus and present in him. The full unfolding of his redemptive sovereignty has not yet been realized, but the time of the end has come and therefore to speak appropriately there is no longer historical development, but rather a recapitulation of the whole story called to trial.

«This is the content of the “gospel of God” which is briefly reported to us by the most ancient tradition collected by Mark: «The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is near: convert, and believe in the gospel" (1,14-15). What is announced here is the time (the kairos) of definitive fulfillment, the promised coming of the Kingdom, the great turning point of the world inaugurated by Jesus whose final act is about to take place with his parousia. Evidently it cannot be the historical Jesus speaking here, but rather the Risen One preached by the evangelist, which precisely marks the time of the end between resurrection and parousia, as a unique event where all the time, the whole story condenses, including the life of Jesus itself. For this now, unlike Jewish eschatology, "faith in the gospel" is needed, that is, in Jesus Christ, in the Messiah, who is present as the one who came and who is coming. Therefore, by virtue of this faith, everything precipitates and concentrates in the present, there is no longer oscillation between past and future, tradition and expectation; but only the current hour in which the past is redeemed and the future is only the desire for fulfillment: «Come Lord Jesus» (AP 22, 20).[1]

The Gospel continues describing Jesus' haste to bring his word about the kingdom to fruition, because “the time is fulfilled”. The concept emerges very clearly in the Gospel of Mark, where the adverb abounds euthus (straight), "right away", repeated dozens of times. This concern finds its first application in the call of the four disciples (vv. 16-20) and in the episode of the teaching in the synagogue of Capernaum, accompanied by the liberation of a demoniac (next Sunday). Jesus, with gestures and words, it really shows how the kingdom came to be, and he says it: to the disciples (just called to him) and its people (in the synagogue). So the kingdom can only be a space in which God is present, where is that, precisely, only he reigns. The other powers can do nothing but recognize his authority («I know who you are: the saint of God" of MC 1,24) and submit.

The Fathers of the Church they were impressed by the way Jesus called the first to follow him: they note that they were simple and illiterate people (Origene), who will probably have objected with their inadequacy (Eusebio); we are also surprised by the fact that these "immediately" leave the networks and follow him (cf.. MC 1,18), but above all for the fact that even today, after many years, Jesus still "steps by" (MC 1,16) to our situations, to our daily life, to our networks, and invites us to follow him to be with him.

Each of us he is called where he is and every beginning always has a before that prepared it on which something new is then grafted, a change: just as the seed that has been sown has a different shape from the plant that will then sprout, so we too are taken by the Lord starting from our stories and our today to develop those potential for good and life that are contained in the "little seed" of our life and that only the Lord can open up and transform with the strength and imagination of his Spirit. We are asked to pay attention to his calling voice, filial and trusting abandonment to his words, and the readiness to respond without delays in time or attachments to the "already", to that known and known that reassures us but also risks blocking us: «And immediately they left their nets and followed him».

 

From the Hermitage, 21 January 2024

 

NOTE

[1] Gaeta G., The time of the end, Any, 2020

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A charitable mastery: «Rabbi, where you live? Come and see"

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Homiletic of the Fathers of The Island of Patmos

A CHARITABLE MASTERY: «RABBI, WHERE YOU LIVE? COME AND SEE"

Isaac Newton wrote «The more I learn, the more I realize how many things I don't know". Today it seems that many do not want to learn even though they are certain and sure that they know.

 

Author:
Gabriele Giordano M. Scardocci, o.p.

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Dear Readers of The Island of Patmos,

one of the most natural attitudes we all have is that of research. When we are children we often ask ourselves the why of things. As we grow up we then find answers, and we continually renew our search for the meaning of truth in things. Isaac Newton wrote «The more I learn, the more I realize how many things I don't know".

In today's Gospel Jesus shows us two men in search and the path to follow to find the definitive answer. The answer is very beautiful: go with Him and see where the Lord dwells.

«Jesus then turned and, observing that [John and two disciples] they followed him, he told them: “What are you looking for?”. They answered: “Rabbi — that, translated, means teacher , where you live?”. He told them: “Come and see”».

We therefore find a very beautiful scene. Giovanni, Andrew and another disciple whose name we do not know move following Jesus. He notices this and questions them. They answer and thus recognize him as a teacher and want to know where he lives. And that's when Jesus invites them to come and see.

It is a vivid and strong dialogue between the three and Jesus. The Lord with his divine human gaze captures a heart and a mind ready to seek the house of God. Ready to search for that place where they can find the truth that unlocks their mystery and that of God.

Jesus is truly a teacher for them because as a son of God he can lead Andrew, John and the other disciple to a mastery, to a knowledge that becomes love. A knowledge of God that allows him to love himself and others in a concrete and practical way.

We are also in this meeting. We could say that we are symbolized by that unnamed disciple. The nameless one is the one who listens and asks Jesus what his home is today in 2024.

The Lord asks all of us to seek him first and foremost in the Church, lto his main residence, because in it the Eucharist is lived and celebrated, that is, the real presence of Jesus in the body, blood, soul and divinity. If we follow and see Jesus in the Church that celebrates the Eucharist, and therefore makes us actively participate in the encounter with Him, we can all also grow in learning communion with others. Because, effectively, the second home where we can meet Jesus today, he is our neighbor. In fact, all of us are the temple of the Holy Spirit and the temple of the Eucharist. Therefore, let us learn to look at our suffering and needy neighbors, the same Jesus who asks us for help.

So we must first learn to listen to the voice of Jesus who today asks our hearts “What are you looking for?”. Let's ask ourselves if our desires are holy, just and good, and we will truly feel the Lord inviting us to walk on the paths of Eternity.

We ask the Lord for the gift of research that leads us to authentic life, life in Him and in his Church, to become seekers of the Eternal Light.

 

Santa Maria Novella in Florence, 14 January 2024

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The divine provocateur Jesus to the Apostles: «What are you looking for??»

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Homiletics of the Fathers of The Island of Patmos

THE DIVINE PROVOKER JESUS ​​TO THE APOSTLES: «WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?»

This first meeting of Jesus with his first disciples is a mix of glances and testimonies that converge towards the Lord. The profound mystery of his person begins to reveal itself, as well as the names of the first followers. This moment must have been so significant that they even kept the timetable: four in the afternoon, the tenth hour.

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In the Gospel of this Second Sunday of Ordinary Time let's read: «At that time John was with two of his disciples and, fixing his gaze on Jesus as he passed by, he said: «Behold the lamb of God!». And his two disciples, hearing him talk like that, they followed Jesus. Jesus then turned and, observing that they followed him, he told them: «What are you looking for??». They answered: «Rabbi – what, translated, means teacher –, where you live?». He told them: «Come and see». So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day; it was around four in the afternoon. One of the two who had heard John's words and followed him, it was Andrea, brother of Simon Pietro. He met his brother Simon first and told him: “We have found the Messiah” – which translates as Christ – and led him to Jesus. Staring at him, Jesus said: «You are Simone, the son of John; you will be called Cephas" – which means Peter». (GV 1,35-42).

The Church has understood the unity of the three mysteries that relate to the revelation of Jesus, and he already linked them in the ancient antiphon of the Second Vespers of the day of the Epiphany:

«Three wonders we celebrate on this holy day: today the star guided the magi to the nativity scene, today the water changed into wine at the wedding, today Christ is baptized by John in the Jordan for our salvation, alleluia».

This year the third mystery relating to the manifestation of Jesus it is always announced through the Gospel according to Saint John, but instead of the episode at Cana, the liturgy proposes that of the first manifestation of Jesus to the disciples, following the indication of John the Baptist who defines him as "Lamb of God".

The evangelical episode takes place on the third day of the inaugural week of Jesus' ministry, week that will culminate in the manifestation of his glory in Cana before his disciples who "believed in him" (GV 2,11). The text offers the Johannine version of the call of the first disciples narrated by the synoptic tradition, but with notable differences. John presents a scheme in which the mediation of a witness who confesses faith in Jesus and leads others to encounter him is fundamental: it is like this for John the Baptist with regard to two of his disciples (1,35-39), for Andrea towards Simon Pietro (1,40-41), for Philip who turns to Nathanael. In particular John the Baptist who, after a negative testimony about himself ("I am not the Christ") and a positive one about Jesus («Behold the Lamb of God»), he reveals in front of two of his disciples the identity of the one of whom he was the precursor and leads them to become disciples of Jesus. He who was sent by God as a witness of the Word "so that all might believe through him" (1,7) He thus fulfills his mandate by letting his disciples become Jesus', asking them to join him.

That we are faced with the manifestation of a mystery is also signaled by the “revelation scheme”, often used by the evangelist in his work and which can be summarized in the three phases of seeing, say and pronounce the adverb: «Ecco». The evangelical passage opens, like this, with John who "fixes his gaze" (1,36) about Jesus and says: «Behold the Lamb of God» and ends with Jesus who «gazes his gaze» (1,42) about Simon Peter tells him: «You are Simone, the son of John, you will be called Cephas – which means Peter". It deals with, in both cases, of an intense gaze, a seeing in depth, a discernment of a person's identity. Vocation is not just a calling as in the synoptics, but also a look like here in Giovanni. The look, like and perhaps more than the voice it is communication and revelation. In John the most neutral verb is to perceive, they see (Blepein). We find it for the initial scene of the baptism in the Jordan. John the Baptist sees Jesus coming to him and says: «Behold the lamb of God». But we can already see in this episode a transition from seeing to contemplating (GV 1,32) and then to the "I saw" of GV 1,34, come in GV 14,9.

To the most complete verb form we arrive in GV 14,9, where the verb «see» will be used in the perfect tense: I'm sorry (Euraka). Applied to Jesus, describes what the attentive and amazed gaze has discovered in him and of which the discovery is preserved in the memory. We can observe that every time John uses this verb "I saw" (and I cherish the memory of it) Jesus is recognized as the holy place where God manifests himself, the temple of divine presence, home, that is, the abode in which God himself lives. In such a context the meaning of the verse becomes clear Gv14,9: "Whoever has seen me has seen the father". Having seen Jesus and preserving his interior vision in memory means recognizing Jesus as the Father's dwelling place, present in his Son as in a dwelling. Because of this, returning to this Sunday's Gospel passage, it must be said that the renewed version of the CEI Bible in an adequate manner 2008 he translated v.38 as: «Rabbi where do you live?» and not «where you live?» as it was in the previous version, given the presence of the verb stay (Meno) which has particular importance in the fourth Gospel. The theme of dwelling runs, indeed, like a red thread through the entire fourth Gospel, progressively enriching itself. Broadening our gaze to the whole of the Gospel and trying to draw the threads of our discussion we can affirm that the same evangelist in 1,14 invites us to understand that in the man Jesus - the Word made flesh "full of the grace of truth" in which the witnesses "contemplated the glory of the only begotten" - there was a mystery, "unfathomably hidden" but which is revealed to us "symbolically" (St. Maximus the Confessor). It is the mystery of the "only begotten from the Father", who "came to pitch his tent among us". Thus he becomes the abode of the Father (GV 14,10), the new temple of God's presence (GV 2,21; cf.. GV 4,20-24). A beautiful passage by Saint Maximus the Confessor, sep­pur difficile, says the essential:

"The Sir […] he became his own precursor; he has become a type and symbol of himself. Symbolically he makes himself known through himself. That is, he leads all creation, starting from itself as it manifests itself, but to lead her to himself as it is unfathomably hidden".

Perhaps more intelligible and at the same time admirable is this phrase from William of Saint-Thierry, the friend of Saint Bernard, who interpreted the question of the first disciples in a spiritual and Trinitarian sense:

«Maestro, where you live? Come and see, He said. You do not believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? Thank you, man! […] We have found your place. Your place is the Father; it's still, the place of the Father is you. You are therefore located from this place. But this localization, which is yours, […] it is the unity of the Father and the Son"[1].

This first meeting of Jesus with his first disciples it is a mix of glances and testimonies that converge towards the Lord. The profound mystery of his person begins to reveal itself, as well as the names of the first followers. This moment must have been so significant that they even kept the timetable: four in the afternoon, the tenth hour. This is how we begin to get to know Andrea, Simon Pietro's brother, (1,42) who from Jesus receives the vocation to become a "rock" (this means «Cephas»), among his brothers. Who is the other disciple who was with Andrew? We can hypothesize that he is "the beloved disciple". He is the one who, present at the cross of Jesus, seeing Jesus die as a Lamb whose bones are not broken (GV 19,33.36) "He testifies so that you may believe" (GV 19,35), just as John the Baptist testifies of Jesus, after having seen him and indicated him as the Lamb of God so that all may believe (GV 1,34.36.37). The parallelism between GV 1,38 («Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them») e GV 21,20-21 («Turn around, Peter sees the disciple whom Jesus loved following... and says to Jesus") shows that next to Peter, at the beginning of the sequel and after Easter, there is, in all likelihood, the beloved disciple who followed the Lamb faithfully from the beginning. And Peter, while he is made shepherd of the Lord's sheep and invited again to follow Jesus as a sheep himself (cf.. GV 10,4), receives the revelation that following the Lamb and pastoral ministry find their outcome in giving one's life for the sheep, in glorifying God with martyrdom. This will be Peter's testimony: in death on the cross the apostle will find himself where his Lord was: «If anyone wants to serve me, follow me and where I am, My servant will also be there." (GV 12,26).

From the Hermitage, 13 January 2024

 

NOTE

[1] GULLIEM OF SAINT-THIERRY, Contemplation of God. The oration of Dom Guillaume, Paris, Ed. Deer, 1959 (Coll. Christian Sources, n.61), 124-125.

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Sant'Angelo Cave in Ripe (Civitella del Tronto)

 

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